Beyond the Comfort Zone

by Stephen Nelson

As I walked into the room, I broke into a cold sweat. The air was hot and thick and had a distinctive smell. The room was large, the size of a small auditorium, and more wide than deep, like a large rectangle. We were at the Nashville Rescue Mission to conduct a Wednesday evening worship service. We would lead singing, preach, and pray with those who came forward during the invitation.

Moving along the back wall, I felt the weight of many eyes on me. Some turned back to what they were doing, as if our presence was a nuisance. Others held their gaze, and in the brief moment my eyes met theirs, I could see the wear and tear of many difficult years. Others smiled…welcoming, hopeful smiles.

Student Meets Real World

Over the next hour (and next four years), I met many of those men and heard their stories. Some had been through great difficulty brought on by circumstances beyond their control. Others were seeking help to overcome addictions and dealing with results of bad choices.
I even met one man who had made it his ministry to travel from city to city to witness to people on the streets, in low-income housing projects, and in homeless shelters like the Nashville Rescue Mission. (Believe me, that was a convicting conversation.) All were related in that they had a need, and that need was being met by the tireless, loving work of the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Rescue Mission Lesson

When I think back on my years at Welch College, the Wednesday night services at “the mission” hold a special place in my heart for several reasons. For one, these times deepened the friendships I was making with other young men at the college. Our weekly visit to the men’s mission built a camaraderie that led to accountability and support, not only on Wednesday nights but throughout the week as well. I also made friends with some of the men at the shelter who, through their own life experiences, offered advice and warnings that carried a great deal of weight coming from those who had learned the hard way.

Life Outside the Classroom

But the greatest takeaway was the chance to serve while putting into practice what I was learning in the classroom and chapel services. These opportunities became vital “spurts” to my spiritual growth. As a registered introvert, I had the uncomfortable privilege of reaching out and interacting with others I had never met. As a Christian school kid who grew up in the Bible Belt and in church every time the doors were open, I got to spend at least an hour a week in the larger world beyond my comfort zone.

In those moments, I learned vital lessons I could not have fully understood in any other context. I learned I have been blessed far beyond what I had realized to that point in my life. This was never more clear to me than when, as a 20-year-old college student, I met men my age and younger who had no family and nowhere else to go. I also learned that choices have consequences. Even decisions that seem trivial cost a great deal more than imagined in the long run. I learned that appearances can be deceiving, and that God’s love and grace can reach into the hardest and most broken hearts.

Wednesday Nights in Nashville

While my Christian Service stories and experiences may seem unique, they are not so different from those of many other Welch College students who, over the years, have participated in service opportunities provided by the college in partnership with other Nashville agencies and churches.

At Welch College, Christian Service is a weekly requirement. A report is due every week detailing church and Christian Service attendance. But to call it a “requirement” does not do justice to what my Christian Service came to mean to me.
Of course, there were nights I didn’t feel like dressing up and going downtown to the mission. On those Wednesday nights when I had a bad day, homework and tests had piled up, or I hadn’t slept particularly well, it would have been easy to justify staying in my dorm room with the intention of doing better the next week. But it was on those nights that I often received the greatest blessing.

While I was the one going to the mission to minister, I was often the one ministered to by men, young and old, who came from more difficult circumstances than I. Yet, they worshiped with us, listened intently, and responded to the messages brought by student preachers. It was an experience unlike any other for me, and I am forever grateful.

Leaving My Comfort Zone

I am thankful for the ministry of the Nashville Rescue Mission and their willingness to allow us to be a small part of that ministry. I am also thankful to Welch College for providing me the opportunity to serve in a traditionally uncomfortable environment. I am thankful for a school serious about both academics and service.

Christian Service opportunities at Welch College include everything from tutoring to children’s Bible clubs. It includes local church service, overseas mission trips, English conversation partnerships with international students, and much more. Each service provides Welch students the opportunity to meet individual needs while living out their faith and, in the process, sharing it.

I’m no longer a student at Welch College, but I’m still learning. I’m now on staff working in the area of communications, which means I write news releases and edit as needed. I still learn from chapel speakers and from my colleagues at Welch as we serve day by day in the college’s ongoing ministry.

I’m also still thankful for the ministry of Nashville Rescue Mission and the lessons I learned in those Wednesday night services. One of the lessons I try to keep foremost in my heart and mind is that people rarely walk into your comfort zone. You must go to them. Reaching out involves risk and discomfort; but the rewards are great, and the effects, eternal.

About the Writer: A 2012 graduate of Welch College, Stephen Nelson now serves as editorial assistant on the college staff. Learn more about Welch College at www.welch.edu.